Lykaos: Zarya
Content Warning: Mild anxiety Age: Unknown They were scared. They didn’t know when they were first scared. It was after they drugged them, after they first dragged them down to the dark, dank floor that smelled of mildew, mold, and death. It was… …they didn’t know. They couldn’t remember. But they were scared. -- No one came close to them. They didn’t want them to. They wanted to watch from the safety of the corner as they ate. There was a strange man, a tall man. They didn’t know them. Their eyes met, but then scooched away. There was another man. Another man scared like them. They weren’t alone. They felt alone. It was the potions. They fogged their mind, whispered soothing thoughts, sent them to comforting sleep, but they never gave them pleasant dreams. Their dreams were the same. Haunted, filled with death, with violence. With whispers. (…disgusting…Alin…) The little cleric would come over to check on them, but then she would leave. She was the only one who came over until she did. She was slender, confident, with pretty eyes. She was pretty. Not like Mummy, never like Mummy. She smiled as she walked over. She held out a cup. “Want some pudding?” -- Her name was Zarya. She brought over that strange, tall man. He was handsome. Not like Daddy, never like Daddy. His name was Ephraim. He was nice. Zarya was the nicest. She talked with him, she talked most of all, and he liked that. They liked to listen to her. She made them start to feel normal again. Less scared. Less unsure. More like how they used to be. Ephraim, too. Ephraim didn’t talk as much, but he also didn’t glare at them. It was nice. These people were nice. -- They pressed close to the wall, listening as the footsteps faded away. They only moved again when there were no more sounds. They were supposed to be in their room, sleeping, resting. Drugged. But the drugs didn’t stop the dreams. They slunk through the shadows, claws raised to keep from clicking. Time was slow to pass them as they prowled the hall. It took awhile to find her room. Her scent was masked by the scent of potions, of cleaning fluid, of death. When they found it, they picked the lock with a pin they used to pull back their hair, then they entered. “Zarya?” they whispered. “Hmmm?” She rolled over, squinting through the dark. Her pulse jumped, they could hear it. “Can I stay?” “You’re a wolf.” They rounded their shoulders, dropping to all floors. They crept a little closer. “Please?” Zarya pulled back the blanket on her bed and moved closer to the wall. “Don’t shed all over the floor. They laughed softly. They liked her. They crawled onto the bed and settled down next to her on the bed. It was awkward, one paw hanging off towards the floor, but she wrapped her arms around them to hold them. Then she began to pet them. Soft, soothing strokes. Yes, they felt better. No longer scared. Category:Vignettes